This post was contributed by a community member. The views expressed here are the author's own.

Politics & Government

Pierce Transit Board Focuses On Efficiency, Delays Service Cuts

The public transportation agency will implement 20 percent in service cuts this June. The balance — another 15 percent — will come after a closer look at route efficiency and more public comment.

Pierce Transit commissioners put off a final decision until at least June on 35 percent in proposed service cuts, citing the need for a closer look at how the public-transportation provider can maximize route efficiency while harming the fewest riders.

However, agency officials said the need to backfill a $51-million budget shortfall ultimately could require Pierce Transit to abandon existing routes in outlying portions of Gig Harbor, Bonney Lake, points east and current connections to Olympia.

A lengthy staff presentation and board discussion focused on belt-tightening moves that need to be implemented by fall to help the Lakewood-based agency deal with its sizeable budget deficit on Monday night.

Find out what's happening in Gig Harborwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

Andrew Austin, policy associate for Transportation Choices Coalition, said none of the plans are ideal.

“I urge you to put off the current plan and look at the ridership-based plan to find common ground between the different options,” he told the board.

Find out what's happening in Gig Harborwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

Paula Hoffman, vice president of government relations for Seattle-based Lighthouse for the Blind Inc., said her organization depends on a patchwork of public shuttles and county transit systems. Cuts would hurt those who do not have other transportation options, she added.

“It’s not just a reduction of a ride," Hoffman said. It could be a reduction of livelihood."

Staff offered two options. One called for 35 percent in total service reductions, including 20 percent on June 12 and the remaining 15 percent by Oct. 2. The bulk of savings would come from an estimated workforce reduction of nearly 200 employees.

Those cuts are needed, agency officials said, due to several years of decreased sales-tax revenue coupled Prop. 1's failure, the agency’s unsuccessful effort to convince Pierce County voters to raise the sales-tax rate three-tenths of 1 percent or the equivalent of three cents on every $10 in purchases.

Adding to Pierce Transit’s woes was a Feb. 28 explosion and fire of still undetermined cause at its Compressed Natural Gas fueling station in Lakewood.  The incident has resulted in 23 percent fewer buses in service since Feb. 28.

While that accounts for roughly the first 20-percent of needed service reductions, no employees have been eliminated yet because all are needed to drive buses between Pierce Transit’s bus barn and the Sea-Tac fueling terminal.

In his staff report, Kelly Hayden, Pierce Transit’s acting vice president of Transportation Services, said five public hearings have been held so far to gather comments from riders in Gig Harbor, Tacoma, Puyallup and Bonney Lake. More than 300 people attended the sessions, the majority of whom opposed either all or partial service cuts.

Meanwhile, the board instructed the staff in April to approach the cuts from the standpoint of maximizing service efficiency while harming the fewest riders. As a result, staff recommended Monday that the board implement the first 20 percent in cuts June 12 and the rest later on.

Either way, the plan is to reduce the number of service hours from 622,000 annually to about 417,000, resulting in fewer trips on most routes.

“…Additional reduction proposals would be presented to the public at a public hearing at the June 13, 2011 board meeting, at which time the board may consider the plan for final adoption,”  Hayden noted.

Among the proposed cuts so far are:

  • Reduced trips on fixed route and shuttle trips all week, buses coming less often on both weekdays and weekends, significant reductions in weekend service, providing service between the hours of 10 a.m. and 6 p.m. and no special event service, which would affect service to the Puyallup Fair and the July 4 Freedom Fair.
  • Other ideas include cuts in shuttle paratransit service for disabled riders. As bus service is reduced or eliminated on the fixed-route system, shuttle service will also be reduced or eliminated.
  • Routes 60 (Port of Tacoma), Route 207 (Fort Lewis), Route 444 (Parkland/Spanaway Bus PLUS), Route 446 (Canyon Rd–South Hill Bus PLUS), Route 490 (South Hill-Tacoma) and Orting Loop may be eliminated — although board members expressed particular concern about dropping the Orting Loop route.

Board members struggled with the recommendations, asking for clarification and re-clarification from staff as to what they were voting on. In the end, however, they agreed to take the cuts in stages and have staff come back with more suggestions to maximize service efficiency.

After the meeting, Hayden and Pierce Transit Principal Planner Tina Lee said the board also wants staff to work with Sound Transit, which provides regional bus service, to see where it might take over connections to the north and east to Bonney Lake.

“That’s so we can focus our resources closer into the community,” Hayden said.

Added Lee, “We seem to be honing in on a system that serves the higher-population area.”

We’ve removed the ability to reply as we work to make improvements. Learn more here

The views expressed in this post are the author's own. Want to post on Patch?

More from Gig Harbor